Indiana Cornerback D’Angelo Ponds Still Content To Let His Actions Do The Talking

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The common theme among Indiana’s football team is a love of “ball.” How the Hoosiers express that love varies.

There are vocal guys like defensive end Mikail Kamara. Or jovial talkers like wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. Or straight-out-of-central-casting team captain types like linebacker Aiden Fisher.

Then there’s the guys who prefer to let their performance do their talking for them – like cornerback D’Angelo Ponds.

The junior gets amplification from both his individual honors and the success of his teams.

Ponds comes off an All-Big Ten campaign in which he had three interceptions, nine defended passes and 57 tackles, including five for loss.

That speaks very loudly, and his performance on the field, relationship with the coaching staff that goes back to their time at James Madison, and his experience make Ponds a leader.

He’s not a talker by nature, but he’s figuring it out.

“I'm more of a lead-by-example type of guy. I'm working on speaking more, but Aiden (Fisher) is more of a loud guy. So that's how we're different. I feel like I'll just lead by example, but I still hold my guys to high standard,” Ponds said.

When Ponds does give advice he keeps it simple – work hard.

“I just tell them keep their head down and work. It'll happen out of nowhere if you just keep your head down and work. Find a way on the field, like special teams, things like that, that'll get the coaches to trust you and just work hard,” he said.

Ponds is all about football all the time. He noted that he’s studied a lot of film of himself to try to eliminate any tendencies that opponents can pick up on.

He gets a lot of help from his position coach, Ola Adams.

“I feel like he's a guy that knows a lot. He has a lot of football knowledge. He gets me better every day. He pushes me,” Ponds said. “He doesn't treat me different from anybody else. He doesn't care about the success I had in the past. That's somebody I need in my corner, just somebody who's not a yes man. Who corrects me when I'm wrong and gets me better every day.”

D'Angelo Ponds. — Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds (5) makes an interception and returns it for a touchdown during the Indiana versus Washington football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As far as what Ponds works on?

‘’For me, it's really disguising. A lot of teams like the just throw and we're at cover three, showing where we're covered through there, throw a little hitch, so I'm disguising more. Just doing more little things to get the quarterback off this game. Really just working on that and just more pick production,” Ponds explained.

On another front, Ponds has been able to experience new quarterback Fernando Mendoza from the perspective of an opponent in Indiana’s practices. With Ponds on the field, Mendoza has to be wary in practice, but Ponds has noted that Mendoza is testing the defensive backs, too.

“He's the one. So I go against him every day. The thing that stuck out to me is just how mobile he is and his deep ball accuracy. He’s got a strong arm. I could see it when he was throwing at Pro Day. And once he came out there to throw against us, I can see he’s got a strong arm,” Ponds said.

Ponds will be part of a revamped secondary in 2025. With starting cornerback Jamier Johnson having moved on, reserve corner Jamari Sharpe is the presumed starter at the other corner spot. Safety positions will be manned by Amare Ferrell, transfer Devan Boykin and returning defensive back Louis Moore, who played at Indiana from 2022-23.

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